The Bible Answer Show was a weekly radio show in which your Bible questions were answered. All the questions that were answered on air have been archived here on this site. Feel free to browse any of the questions already answered and you may still submit your own. Remember: "What God Says Still Matters!"

Pages

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

My spouse is not a Christian...am I supposed to divorce him/her and marry a Christian instead? I

The Bible speaks to this question in a couple of different places. It seems that during the First Century it was common (as it also is today) for one person in a marriage to become a Christian, while the other stayed an unbeliever.A Christian husband or wife would always desire their spouse to be a Christian too. Sadly, there are some marriages in which only one chooses to believe. Some have thought (for many different reasons) that it would be better to divorce the unbeliever and marry a believer. This post will answer whether or not this is advisable.Verses on a Christian being married to a non-Christian:

"...if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away" (1 Corinthians 7:12-13).

"In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior" (1 Peter 3:1-2).

Answer:

Just because one's spouse is not a Christian, is NOT cause for a divorce.

It is possible for the unbeliever to later become a Christian through the teaching and example of their believing spouse.

If you are married to a non-Christian, love your spouse with the love of Christ, set a good example in all that you do. Show your spouse how important God is to you, teach them when you have the chance, and Lord willing, one day they will choose to follow God too.